On Thusday in class we talked about possible ways to develop an understanding East Asian culture. Hugh mentioned literature as one way of gaining a better understanding. As an English major, I agree. There is a really wonderful novel (historical fiction) by Amitav Gosh called "The Glass Palace" that is a great read. It is kind of long but well worth the effort if you are interested. Helpful sites: Gosh
And Book Summary
I found the article from the Asia Times in the ecology section very interesting. I was unaware of the extremely dismal conditions of southwestern China to begin with, but I was utterly baffled at the fact that citizens in the most urban parts there would consider themselves lucky to make just around $1000 annually!
I found the idea of the highway's modernity, as well as the industrialized appearance of the worldwide food giant McDonald's and its competitor "Disco Chicken," masking the destitution of the region's poverty stricken counties very intriguing.
The fact that families split up (parents working away from home for extended periods of time) is reminiscent of Latin American families sending family members to the United States to earn money working menial jobs and send that money back to their families.
Furthermore, the importance of kinship in Chinese culture is characterized by Zhou Pinfang's (and his wife's) willingness to work, separated, in order to provide for his children's expensive educations with the hopes of their acquiring lucrative jobs in the city.